NHS pension for HSC staff in Northern Ireland

Health and Social Care (HSC) staff in Northern Ireland are in the HSC pension scheme, which is the Northern Ireland version of the NHS pension, administered by the HSC Pension Service. From 1 April 2026 members pay between 5.2% and 12.7% of pensionable pay, in six tiers, and the employer pays 23.2%. The scheme builds 1/54 of your pay each year as pension.

The 2026/27 contribution tiers

The tiers apply from 1 April 2026, following the 3.8% rise in the September 2025 Consumer Prices Index. The England figures are from the NHS Business Services Authority. The pay thresholds are the same in both. The rates differ.

Pensionable pay	Northern Ireland	England
Up to £13,259	5.2%	5.2%
£13,260 to £28,854	6.7%	6.5%
£28,855 to £35,155	8.5%	8.3%
£35,156 to £52,778	10.0%	9.8%
£52,779 to £67,668	10.9%	10.7%
£67,669 and above	12.7%	12.5%

Your rate is set by your pensionable pay. Higher earners fall into higher tiers, and contributions come out of pay before tax, so you get tax relief and may pay a little less National Insurance. Practitioners pay on their total annual practitioner pensionable pay, and officer posts are worked out separately and may have different rates.

Say you start in a Band 5 post at £31,049 (the entry point on the 2025/26 Agenda for Change scale in Northern Ireland). That sits in the £28,855 to £35,155 tier, so you pay 8.5%, which is £2,639 a year. The same salary in England at 8.3% would be £2,577, about £62 less. You can see the effect on your monthly pay with the take-home pay calculator.

What is the same as England

The HSC scheme is a career average scheme, like the NHS Pension Scheme in England. Each year you build 1/54 of your pensionable earnings as pension. While you are an active member, the pension in your account is revalued each year in line with the Consumer Price Index plus 1.5%, and deferred benefits are revalued by the CPI only. The normal pension age is linked to your State Pension age. The HSC scheme also has a death in service lump sum and the option to buy additional pension, either as a lump sum or with regular extra contributions.

The thresholds move each year in line with the Agenda for Change pay scales. The England rules are in the NHS Pension Scheme guide, and the benefits mostly carry across. The McCloud remedy guide explains the age discrimination remedy that affected members of public service schemes.

What differs

Contribution rates differ. In every tier except the lowest, Northern Ireland members pay 0.2 percentage points more than England.

The employer rate differs too. The HSC Pension Service gives the employer share as 23.2% of pensionable pay. In England the employer cost is 23.7% in total, of which employers pay 14.38% directly in 2026/27 and NHS England pays the remaining 9.4% centrally.

The administrator differs as well. Your pension records, benefit statements and queries go to the HSC Pension Service, not to the NHS Business Services Authority. If you move between jobs in Northern Ireland and England, ask the HSC Pension Service how your service is treated.

Who can join

The scheme covers all Health and Social Care workers aged between 16 and 75 who are not entitled to carry on in the 1995 or 2008 sections. Members who were close to their normal retirement age in 2012 may be protected and stay in their older section. Your employer can tell you which section you are in.

Rates could change

The HSC Pension Service notes that the 2026/27 tiers may change if the Agenda for Change pay award significantly exceeds 3.8%. The recommended 2026/27 award is 3.3%, and its payment in Northern Ireland was not confirmed when this was checked, so do not expect the tiers to move unless the award changes. Your payslip and the HSC Pension Service website show the rate that applies to you.